Moon Daemon

Chapter Four - The Introduction

Marrok returns me to the castle to meet up with the other wolves on patrol. When we arrive, the others are already preparing for the hunt. I see several shifted wolves who stand before Marrok waiting for directions. I feel myself hiding behind him in the shadows, preparing to cover myself in an instant if it comes to it.

I see Tala and Accalia walk from the castle to the front stairs. I catch Accalia's eyes and immediately feel like retreating, but something about her gaze today seems different from our last encounter; her eyes are softer, gentler.

"Esmeray," she says, approaching Marrok and I.

"Hi," I whisper.

"You can both talk later if that's what Esmeray wants," Marrok says, turning his attention back to the wolves. The way his voice changes from calm and gentle with me to powerful and in charge shocks me. "Humans threaten our borders. Stop them."

"Are we taking prisoners?" Rollins asks.

"Use judgment," Marrok says. "If they are Transfused, do the world a favor."

The rest of the still human form wolves begin shifting and running towards the gates of the territory.

"How can I help?" I ask.

"Go inside for now," Marrok tells me. "I will be back soon."

"Marrok," I argue. "I can fight."

"I just met you, I'm not ready to willingly let you put yourself in danger," he says.

"Last time I checked," I snap and grab his arm as he turns away. "I haven't accepted anything. You can't control me, and if you think you can, this mate bond will never work."

I hear a small growl escape from the back of his throat, and I wonder if it was Marrok of Thorin who let it go.

"Don't hurt my wolves," he says. "At the absolute first sign of danger, you hide yourself and leave."

"Deal," I tell him.

"We'll help you get there," he says, stripping his shirt off. I watch as his body starts to shake and I stare in awe as this beautiful man before me turns into an even more beautiful wolf. Thorin stands before me and sniffs the air around me. He bends one of his legs down and I realize he's offering to let me ride on his back.

I reluctantly climb onto the huge creatures back and gently grasp the fur around his neck. He starts off with a slow trot until I get use to the feeling of his movements before opening his strides and running towards the fight. The feeling of the wind on my face as he sprints onward fills me with an immense amount of joy.

Unfortunately, it's not long before I catch a stronger stench of Transfused before us. I see the battling of elemental manipulators and wolves, and I know Thorin is itching to get his teeth into them. I gather shadows around me and I lift myself from Thorins' back twenty feet away from the fighting and perch myself in a tree.

Thorin must have felt me leave, because he doesn't stop running until he tackles an earth manipulator to the ground, sinking his teeth into him.

I watch as the wolves and the Transfused starting fighting amongst each other, bloodshed devouring the green grass around them.

I see a wolf that is slightly smaller than the rest of them being targeted by four Transfused, and I instantly react. I muster my shadows and I find myself hiding in the middle of the battlefield, assisting the wolves in their fight without being seen.

I launch a couple Transfused into a more crowded area that wolves could grab them easier when I feel something unfamiliar wash over my body. I turn to face a crowd of Infused and see that one of them is sniffing the air viciously, before looking around and his eyes landing directly on me.

I look around me to make sure I am still hidden, when I see a small grin arise on the Transfused man’s mouth.

“Marrok,” I whisper through the crowd, praying somehow, he would hear me through the noise. “Something’s wrong.”

I watch as the Transfused man walks towards me, shrouded in shadows and completely hidden from the world, before stopping right in front of me and sniffing again.

“I smell you, Daemon,” he says.

I gulp, cowering away from him as he continues to sniff the air and follow me.

“The moon Goddess told me about you,” he says. “We’ve been looking for you.”

Suddenly, other Transfused start to sniff the air around me and looking around for me. The wolves let out ferocious growls, some of them still attacking.

“Come out Daemon,” the Transfused calls. “Your blood calls to me.”

I stay completely silent as the Transfused approaches me, still looking around. I am certain he cannot see me, but him sniffing me out amongst the crowd makes me nervous. Why is this one so different from the rest.

“Gotcha,” he smiles, reaching out to me and grabbing hold of my arm. I let out a small yelp of surprise before throwing as much force as I can muster at him, sending him flying backwards.

“The last pure blood daemon,” he growls. “Just an air manipulator. How sad.”

“Marrok!” I call out as my shield crumbles around me from my force of power.

“It’s her!” I hear from the crowd. “It’s the Daemon!”

“f**k,” I mumble, stumbling backwards from the Infused. The next thing I hear is the most bone chilling growl that all but shook the earth. I look up and I see Thorin approaching me and the Transfused with a body still hanging from his enormous mouth. Blood drips from his chin onto his mighty paws as he stalks over to my position.

Two more wolves appear behind me, one light grey in color and one brown. I back up until I am in between them and I raise my arms defensively.

“Are you willing to truly defend an air daemon?” the Transfused asks the wolves. “Just give her our blood and you will be compensated from the Moon Goddess herself. She is the one who sent us.”

I think back to my conversation with Hekate in the tree yesterday. How could she be the one to give up my position after telling me herself to keep myself hidden?

Thorin approaches me; his sheer size is both comforting and intimidating.

“Alright then,” the Transfused smirks. “If you will not do this the easy way, the Moon Goddess will come for you all.”

I bring my arms up to create a weapon for myself when suddenly I feel strangely weak. The shadows around me start to fade, and the full moon above us brings such a great light that the world itself looks like daytime.

I stumble backwards, trying to find any shadow to cling onto, to get myself out of this situation like I promised Marrok I would.

The Transfused begin launching attacks in our direction and I dive behind a tree. I feel utterly useless. I curse the moon for shining so brightly, but as I scan the horizon I see my savior.

Woods.

I get up from my position and start sprinting across an open field, away from the fighting. I look back to see several Transfused chasing me along with wolves approaching them.

I am within reach of the woods when I dive into a bush, feeling my powers react to the sudden proximity of darkness. I gather my shadows and I hide myself up another tree as the Infused break the entrance of the woods.

I take a deep breath, finding myself in the solace of darkness, before launching an attack on four different Transfused. Each one I grabbed in my shadows was left helpless and alone for the wolves to get to. I gathered more shadows and Transfused, tossing them from the woods and into the open for the others to find.

“Somethings wrong,” one says. “She’s not manipulating air!”

“How can that be?” the Transfused who smelled me out earlier said.

“It’s something else, Aerith” one says. “She got stronger when she got into the woods. Maybe she’s an earth manipulator.”

“No,” the first one, who’s name is Aerith says. “Its not earth. It’s the shadows. That’s why she got weaker when the moon came out.”

I gulp, quieting my breathing. Who the f**k is this guy and how did he figure it out so quickly?

“Retreat,” Aerith calls. “Tonight is not our night. Let us reconvene after speaking to the Moon Goddess!”

I watch from the tree as they begin to scatter throughout the field, no doubt leaving the territory.

I lower myself onto the ground, seeing some wolves dart off after the Transfused. I feel the earth beneath me shutter as his big paws hit the ground coming towards me.

I look up at Thorin, who stands before me with a look of discontent on his face, or as much so as I would imagine from an impossibly large dog.

His muzzle comes towards me and I reach out for him. His touch alone calms my nerves and soul.

“Take me back,” I whisper. “We need to talk.”